Thanks Teensie! You rock.

And Bumble just updated; two chapters in two days! Yay, I think I'm getting better!

I don't have any funny stories or whatnot to tell you this time, and so you don't have read my annoying little Author Notes, woot!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

--Chapter Eight--

"Inu…yasha…" Kikyo staggered through her pain on hand and knees, crawling over to the fallen hanyou. Her breath was coming in violent rasps, pain etched into her pale face. Her body gave out when she finally reached her one and true love, falling into blood and dirt at the hanyou's side.

"I'm here…" Her words were like a caress, soft and absolute. "We can… finally be… together…"

No, no, no, no, Kagome's mind shouted. Inuyasha, you're supposed to live. You're supposed to always be there. You can't die… there's no way you can die! I…

Inuyasha was still looking at Kagome. His dark human eyes were glazed over, staring blankly at the young priestess. His face was relaxed, almost peaceful.

I…

The air escaping his lips was harsh, forced. Blood trickled slowly down his chin, smearing his pale skin. He forced another breath through his bloodied lips, his chest rising hesitantly and harshly with the effort.

I…

Inuyasha suddenly shuddered painfully. Kagome watched with horror as the fierce light that used to burn in his eyes slowly faded. His eyes closed slowly, for the last time. His body slumped deeper into his own puddle of blood in defeat, his breath leaving his lungs in one harsh whoosh.

I love you…

Kagome slowly opened her eyes. She didn't know where she was, nor did she care. She felt suddenly numb, avoid of all emotion. Empty brown eyes focused on the wooded ceiling. Kaede's hut? …No, don't be stupid. You're in the Eastern Lands, Kagome. You're not in Kaede's hut.

She let out a ragged breath, some unbearable pain torturing her body. The pain was almost physical, burning through her veins, blurring her thoughts. It was the only thing she felt, beside the noticeable numbness that had spread throughout her body. The pain tugged at her chest, making it hard for the girl to breathe. She forced in another gust of air, hissing as her chest's movement flared the pain to an unimaginable degree. She was burning alive.

"I see you're awake." The voice was soft, holding sympathy for the broken girl. Kagome hardly moved; her eyes staying fixed blankly on the ceiling. The woman who had spoken kneeled beside Kagome, slowly placing a cold cloth on the girl's burning forehead.

"How long have I been here?" She finally asked as soon as she knew she could still speak. Kagome's voice was soft, emotionless as she questioned the woman who was tending to her.

"Over a week," The woman answered softly. She gently lifted the blankets that covered Kagome's body, checking on the girl's wound. "It seems you were lucky; you didn't loose too much blood. I was able to take the stick out of your leg without any problems. Your priestess powers did the rest of the healing. You'll only have two little scars, one on each side of your left thigh." Kagome listened with half-interest. Who cares what happens to me. I sure don't.

A thought nagged in the back of her blurred mind. "How are… Miroku, Sango… Shippo, Kirara… and Inuyasha?" She exhaled harshly. With effort, Kagome turned her head to look at the young woman. She couldn't have been past twenty-five, with black raven hair flowing gracefully down her shoulders. Her large dark eyes held wisdom, and sympathy in their depths. Kagome once would've stated that this girl was beautiful, but such petty details such as appearances didn't mean a lot to her anymore.

The woman's brow knitted. "I don't remember there being five others. The monk, demon slayer and two demons will be just fine. They recovered a lot faster than you did." A small smile alighted the woman's face. "You used too much of your powers. It knocked you unconscious for the last week. You've been sleeping to regain back the energy you used."

'I don't remember there being five others.' The woman's phrase ricocheted itself off the walls inside Kagome's blank mind, bouncing around and around almost painfully. The young girl replaced her empty gaze to the wooden ceiling, ignoring the other woman.

"Why…?" Kagome whispered to herself, her body shaking a bit. Her control was breaking.

The young woman thought it was a question directed to her. "When old Mydo was travelling, he thought he heard something, just before a great white light. We even saw the light from five miles away, in this village." The woman smiled admiringly. "Then he came across you five, all unconscious and wounded. He immediately ran back to the village for help. We had a bit of problem with the poison inside the monk, but with special herbs and practices, we were able to save him. The demon slayer lost a lot of blood, but I was able to save her. The two smaller demons weren't seriously hurt at all; only minor bruises and scratches. But there was one we weren't able to save. I think he was a demon slayer too." The woman's voice faded at the end, sadness worked in its tone.

But Kagome wasn't listening anymore. Inuyasha, Inuyasha, Inuyasha, her mind screamed. The searing pain in her chest rose to its peak, and Kagome swore someone was cutting a hole in her body, where her heart was. She body started to shake violently, her voice coming in violent gasps. She turned onto her side, curling her legs into her stomach in the fetal position. She choked back sobs as her eyes burned and tears pour relentlessly down her pale cheeks.

Kagome didn't see the young woman slowly rise and exit the hut, leaving Kagome to drown in her pain. She clamped her eyes shut against all of the tears, her cold hands pushing violently at her chest, trying to lessen the pain.

She couldn't think, couldn't see, couldn't function. The pain engulfed her, making her see only darkness and pain and sorrow.

"Inuyasha…" She painfully cried out into the silence of the hut, her body shaking even more violently with the sobs that wracked her body.

I…

"I'm here…" Kikyo's soft voice filled the silence. "We can… finally be… together…"

No, no, no, you can't leave me! You have to stay. You promised me… you can't die, Inuyasha… no you can't! You have to help Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kirara and I defeat Naraku… just like always…

I love you…

/----------

Six Months later.

"Kagome, to your right!" At Sango's warning, Kagome brought her sword down on the demon's ugly deformed head. Her blade sliced through the scales on the beast, making a clean cut as she easily killed the demon.

"I think that's the last one," Miroku shouted from the other side of the large field. The monk was panting hard from the battle they had just won.

Sango bestowed Kagome with a smile. "You're getting better, Kagome. But it seems we need to work on your attacks a bit more than we have. Your blocks are almost perfect."

Kagome smiled back, pleased with her friend's assessment. Her smile almost never reached her eyes after Inuyasha's death, and Sango learned to grow used to it. It bothered her that Kagome was still in unbearable pain over Inuyasha's death.

Sango bowed her head at the thought, her forehead resting on the blade's hilt. I also lost one I loved that day… Kohaku, my brave kid brother… After Kagome had regained back most of her strength, the group had headed back to the old demon slayer's village. Sango had buried her brother next to her father's grave, giving him a proper burial.

Sango let out a gust of held air, remembering how torn up Kagome had been. Miroku had had to force feed her, and Sango had had to take her out to do her business in the bushes. The blank, empty stare Kagome had held had scared Sango and Miroku into being with her almost every second of the day. They were scared she was going to do something stupid, like kill herself. Sango inhaled again, recalling that Kagome's mind had been in its own reality, reliving her memories with Inuyasha. She remembered the day Kagome had come out of her mind…

"Sango." The demon slayer turned sharply at her name, her eyes landing on the young priestess behind her. Kagome's eyes weren't blank, but cold and hardened, focusing on Sango with dead seriousness.

"Kagome?" Sango didn't know what to do. Her hand fell from the cross at Kohaku's grave, falling at her thigh. The demon slayer waited patiently for Kagome to speak.

Kagome clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth. "I want you to teach me how to defend myself."

"What?" Sango asked softly, confused. She wasn't sure she had heard right.

Kagome opened dark eyes filled with pain and sorrow, but underneath it all, steady-fast determination. Her express told the demon slayer this was a serious request. "I want you to teach me how to fight," She repeated, sucking in a harsh breath. "I want to learn to defend myself. I want to fight like you, Sango, with a sword. I don't want to have to rely on another person again."

"I think that's enough for one day," Miroku said, approaching the two girls. Sweat from the hot day ran down the sides of his face.

"That was a good idea, Miroku. I think Kagome's getting better," Sango smiled, lifting her head to rid herself of dark memories. Miroku had suggested that they attract some minor demons into this place, and as for practice, kill them off. It would be better for Kagome to learn the real thing, instead of fighting only himself and Sango, he had said.

Kagome hardly heard the compliment. She cleaned her blade on the grass, watching as the blood from the demons smeared on the light green plants, leaving the sword clean. She had felt numb while killing all of those pathetic demons, not feeling anything as she disemboweled them, beheaded them, and sliced off limbs. It had made her feel confidence as the demons came crashing down, screaming and howling in defeat. She had held life and death in the palms of her hands, and she had delivered their punishment.

For the past four months she had learned to harden her heart, not letting anything affect her. She wouldn't let anyone too close to her, in fear of herself relying on him or her for anything. Her past angered her; she had been a pathetic and innocent girl, needing protection and help. If it weren't for her, Inuyasha would still be alive. It scared her half to death of relying on people, just in case that fate were to befall someone else on her account. She would be strong; she wouldn't break down.

She left the monk and the demon slayer alone, walking back alone. They had decided to remain at Sango's old village until Kagome was ready to go after Naraku. The place was out of sight, an abandoned village in the middle of a forest. No one dared to go near the old village in fear of demons in the forest. When the village had thrived, no demons dared to go near it in fear of being slain. The demon slayers were a strong group of people until their demise at Naraku's hands.

She felt a tad bit lonely as she stepped past the high gates that guarded the village. Miroku and Sango had decided it was best for Shippo to stay with Kaede until Kagome had recovered. It had been months since Kagome had seen his smiling face, but the fear in his wide forest green eyes as he had watched her sob uncontrollably still haunted her thoughts. A young demon didn't need to see a young girl suffering. As torn up as he was, Shippo agreed to go. In Kaede's village, he would be able to play safely with the other human children, and learn about special herbs due to the old priestess' knowledge.

Kagome entered her own hut, one of the last houses that were still in good condition. It had once belonged to a young family, Sango had said sadly. The cradles in the two corners had been proof of that.

She sat down on her cot, her mind painfully blank. She stared down at the long sword Sango had given to her. At first, Sango had given Kagome strong sticks to practice fighting with, but after a while, the demon slayer decided Kagome needed a weapon of her own. She had dug through the village's weapon hut, and had come out with this particular sword.

"It once belonged to one of my childhood friends," Sango said, sorrow deep in her eyes.

The sword was long and graceful, the blade light. Kagome loved the way it twisted and wound in the air on command from her hands. The blade was thin, but accurately deadly. She had watched it strike down countless demons during her practice. With one twitch of her wrist she could swiftly cut off the limbs of even the biggest demon.

With her hand on the silver hilt, she replaced the deadly weapon in its sheath. Placing the sword on the wooden floor next to her cot, she carefully peeled off the armor she had been clad in. The outfit was almost identical to Sango's, but dark blue where Sango's armor had been blood red. Covering her naked body with a heavy kimono, Kagome left her hut, wandering outside.

She had meant to go to the hot springs nearby to clean herself from the sweat and blood that clung to her body and hair, but she found herself following a small winding path that lead her in the opposite direction. Carefully stepping around bushes and branches, she made her way through the woods. All around her nature called. Little blue birds called to each other high in the canopy of the trees, and insects buzzed around her body, going their own way. She felt strangely at peace with this place, as if she knew it held no threat to her trespassing. Instead, it was encouraging her to explore its depths, find the secret to its secluded surrounding.

Just as a light breeze drifted through the still forest, Kagome stepped out of the protection of the trees and into the bright light that shone down from the sun. As her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, her gaze settled on a large pond sitting in the middle of the meadow she had followed the trail to.

She walked up to the edge of the pond, her toes touching the cool water as it lapped gently at her feet. The water was crystal clear, clean without any insects or plants floating on its surface. Kagome could see the little pebbles at the bottom, the strange silvery blue that coated their surface. Some smaller pebbles moved silently with the pond's gentle waves.

Kneeling down to peer at her own clear reflection, Kagome frowned. The young girl that peered back at her had long raven coloured hair that flowed gently down her back in silky locks and clear skin. Her small mouth was pulled into a tight straight line, reflecting her irritation. Kagome's gaze rose over her petite little nose before stopping at tight brown eyes that used to shine with happiness and childish innocence. She had once believe nothing could touch her. How she wished she could go back to those times. Deep inside dark brown eyes, she saw the girl's pain and sorrow that she was trying to hide with bravado and false confidence.

Kagome suddenly grew angry at the girl. With her right hand, she slapped her reflection, her hand submerging in cool water. The girl's face vanished before Kagome's eyes, but within seconds, she was back.

Kagome closed her eyes, sighing in defeat. The mask of her face would always haunt her. Her pain and sorrow would always be visible underneath the false emotions that she forced upon herself. She hated what she had become, but what could she really do? Gritting her teeth, she muttered, "It's either kill or be killed in this world."

Opening her eyes, she let out a small gasp. It wasn't her reflection that stared back at her; it was Inuyasha's. With a pounding heart, she stared at his face, drinking up his appearance like a water-deprived man would do to liquids. He was staring at her, his silver locks floating around his shoulders, little doggy ears twitching. His lips held that same confident smirk she had come to adore, his golden eyes shining with determination and that fierce flame she knew that drove him.

"Inuyasha?" She breathed, leaning closer to the surface of the water where his face was. Six months without him had hardened her, but as soon as she saw his face, the rock-hard barrier she had placed around her heart broke, and her control lapsed. Small dry sobs shook her body, but she refused to cry. Her first two months without him had been spent in the privacy of her mind, replaying her memories with him, while on the outside she hardly did anything besides cry for hours.

His smirk grew as he chuckled lightly. "Kagome," He breathed back, rolling her name on his tongue as if just the sound of her name meant something precious to him.

"Inuyasha…" She whispered again. Shaking her head, she frowned angrily at Inuyasha's reflection in the pond. How dare her imagination pull this on her! She clenched her teeth and clamped her eyes tight. "You're just a figment of my imagination," She hissed before splashing away his face as she had first done her own.

She stood up suddenly, her eyes narrowing at the place where Inuyasha's face had been. With a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumped forward in defeat. She immediately regretted doing what she had done to Inuyasha's reflection. And as much as she denied it on the outside, she missed him badly.

She spun around on her heel, giving the pond her back as she left the meadow. She was starting to get herself back together when she reached the main road. Taking another trail, she followed it to the hot springs.

She absentmindedly stripped off the kimono, hanging it on a nearby branch. As a cool breeze caressed her naked form, she climbed into the comforting warm waters of the spring.

As she lathered her hair and rinsed it free of all the dead demons' blood, she let herself think of all those times with Sango in the hot springs during the old days. She even laughed out-loud at the memory of Hojo's ancestor spying on her and Sango, but it was Miroku who they saw when the monk came to confront the stranger. Then came Inuyasha into the scene, charging. Kagome had acted rashly, calling him a pervert and then sitting him straight into the hot spring with the two naked girls.

Two months ago she couldn't think of his face, it hurt that much. Four months ago, if she even thought or heard his name, she would break down crying. Kagome was proud of how much stronger she had gotten, and it showed as she let a small smile grace her lips. Now, the young girl was able to say his name out loud without the sharp sting of pain straight through her heart.

She sighed, scrubbing her sore body harshly with her hands. Sango's training had been hard, but it was worth it. Her soft muscles had hardened with use, and she now found it easier to run long distances and fight for long periods of time.

Rinsing her body one last time, she crawled out of the spring. After stringing out the excess water in her raven locks, she replaced the kimono around her body, and headed back to the old village.

Phew, done!

Let's make a deal. You review this chapter, and I'll write more. I agree with Teensie, and I pull the 'shame on you' face too if you read my story but do not review! It's so easy, just press on the 'Review this Story/Chapter' button and heck, write me a couple of sentences of how I could improve or how much you liked the story.

It would really make me happy? =)

xxx. bumble.